Haven't seen anyone here discussing the NFL1000 rankings. I don't know a ton about them but I've read the RBs and DTs and they dive pretty deep into every player, even discussing how Gerald McCoy and Clinton McDonald are built physically. McCoy made it as the year's 5th best DT while Barber was our top RB at 45 or something. Not saying these mean anything but it's nice off-season reading material.

Gerald McCoy has broad shoulders and a thick lower half, with his weight primarily distributed through his backside and legs. The 6'4", 300-pound defender shows elite athleticism and snap quickness. Playing like he's shot out of a cannon at the snap, McCoy is used heavily as a run-blitzer as he has outstanding ability to penetrate gaps and blow up plays in the backfield.

The Oklahoma product shows good play strength and pad level at the point of attack, and he has solid hand usage to stack and shed. The eight-year veteran uses incredible quickness to win the edge as a pass-rusher, with a cross-chop to pin his opponent's outside shoulder, showing good ankle bend to turn the corner in tight spaces and finish. McCoy's got a good spin move to counter inside and can put opponents on skates when he converts speed to power. His closing speed in pursuit is good, and he's a sure tackler.

Brandon Thorn blocked me on twitter, lol. He used to go by the name 'Veteran Scout' (b/c he's former military) prior to getting hired at PFF. He finally blocked me b/c I trolled him about when he had Winston projected as a 4th round pick just before the 2015 draft.

He and Greg Cosell from NFL films are guys I troll on twitter whenever their tweets enter my feed from others liking/RT their stuff (which admittedly doesn't happen much). Cosell is the fool that said he'd prefer Zach Mettenberger over Wintson.

Brandon Thorn blocked me on twitter, lol. He used to go by the name 'Veteran Scout' (b/c he's former military) prior to getting hired at PFF. He finally blocked me b/c I trolled him about when he had Winston projected as a 4th round pick just before the 2015 draft.

He and Greg Cosell from NFL films are guys I troll on twitter whenever their tweets enter my feed from others liking/RT their stuff (which admittedly doesn't happen much). Cosell is the fool that said he'd prefer Zach Mettenberger over Wintson.

Good catch. Like I originally said, these don't mean anything but reading material can be scarce this time of year.

He may be using the term to describe McCoy shooting the gap rather than playing a more reactive style of run defense. It’s not a commonly used term but it also makes plenty of sense in describing how McCoy aggressively penetrates to disrupt run plays.

Not sure we should throw out the entire thing because of that one phrase. Their write-up on Smith seems to echo the sentiments of people here.

"Smith showed dominant flashes but rarely put it together on consecutive plays. There were times when he looked like he could be one of the best in the league—then two plays later, one wonders where it went. I have been hard on Donovan Smith in the past because I wanted more out of him, but his 2017 film shows he is working on his consistency."